1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disk-shaped information recording medium and information processing device which can record and reproduce data such as a magnetic disk or optical disk. In particular, it relates to a digital data recording and reproducing device which can record and reproduce data digitally, wherein, when information such as music or images are received via a network, broadcast or other recording medium, and this information is recorded by a magnetic disk device or the like connected to a personal computer, unauthorized copying is prevented and the authors copyright is protected.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, network data distribution systems are becoming popular. In these systems, information such as music or images are distributed via a network or broadcast, the distributed information is received via the Internet, and received information is displayed on the monitor of an individual""s personal computer, or recorded by a magnetic disk or magneto-optic disk device connected to the personal computer.
It is understood that, from the viewpoint of a copyright owner providing information, it is generally acceptable for a user who has a personal computer connected to the Internet, for example, to display received digital information on the computer""s monitor. However, special authorization from the copyright owner may be required to record this information on a magnetic disk, magneto-optic disk or other recording medium. One way of restricting the recording of distributed information on an individual""s magnetic disk, magneto-optic disk or other recording medium, for example, might be to store a key showing whether recording of information on the disk device was authorized or not. This key would be used to verify whether or not the disk device was an authorized device, i.e., whether or not it was a device licensed by the information provider. When the device was confirmed to be an unauthorized device, information recording on this disk device would be permitted.
When information is transmitted between an information provider and an information receiving device which receives the transmitted information and attempts to record it, one method of verifying whether or not the receiver""s device is an authorized device, i.e., whether or not a receiver""s device is a licensed device, is to embed unique information (ID information) to identify the information storage device or recording medium in the system on the information receiving side.
The information provider distributes information, and a check is performed based on this unique information (ID information) as to whether the device is a properly licensed device as regards information transmitted between the information provider and information receiving device. If it is verified that this is a properly licensed device, recording is performed normally, and if it is not a properly licensed device, recording is not performed.
Alternatively, there is another method wherein recording of information is permitted on any device, but if the information is found to be an unauthorized copy when a license check is performed, reproducing does not take place. Unique information to identify the medium or device is recorded at a predetermined position of the data recording part of the medium when it is shipped to prevent duplication.
An example of illegal copy prevention in the case of data transmission via the Internet is shown in FIG. 8.
In the layout shown in FIG. 8, an information provider 800 is connected to plural information receiving users aid 801, 802, 803 via the Internet, transfer of information between the users being possible.
Information is received from the information provider 800, and a user attempting to store the received data on a storage device such as a hard disk attached to the user""s personal computer, sends a data distribution request to the information provider 800 via the Internet, and sends his own ID to the information provider 800.
When the information provider 800 receives the ID from the user, it is compared with IDs registered in an ID database 820. If a matching ID is registered in the ID database 820, the data distribution request is considered to be from a properly licensed user, so data (P) is extracted from a distribution database 810 and provided to the user. The data may for example be encoded and transmitted as f(P).
If there is no matching ID as a result of comparing the ID from the user with the IDs registered in the ID database 820, it is determined that the data request is not from a properly licensed user, and data transmission is not performed.
In this system, the information receiving users 801, 802, 803 are generally individual personal computers comprising a data transmission means, and provided with a device such as a magnetic disk for recording data. The user""s ID is either created by the user himself, or it is unique system information (ID information) which is pre-recorded at a predetermined position of a data recording part of the medium when it is shipped.
The information provider 800 first concludes a license agreement with the user, and registers personal information (ID information) relating to the licensed information receiving users 801, 802, 803 in the ID database 820 on that occasion. The information provider 800 compares the ID information transmitted from the information receiving users 801, 802, 803 with the registered IDs, and determines whether or not the two match. If they do match, it is confirmed that the user is an authorized user. The data is then for example encoded by a predetermined key k, and transmitted to the information receiving users 801, 802, 803.
This key k may for example be a value k (=f (ID) generated by applying a predetermined function f to the device ID transmitted by the information receiving users 801, 802, 803. Likewise, in an information receiving device 702, the function f is applied to the ID to generate the key k (=f (ID). The key k may then be used to decode encoded audio or image data transmitted from the information provider.
However, in this related art construction, the individual ID (ID information) of the user""s information receiving device is set by the user, or is recorded at a predetermined position of a data recording part of the medium when it is shipped. This arbitrarily set ID or ID recorded in a data recording region of the data recording medium can easily be rewritten. An ID recorded in the data part of a recording medium such as a hard disk can be rewritten from the host computer by a user operation, and is therefore prone to falsification.
To prevent illegal ID falsification, it is also possible to prevent rewriting of a part in which the ID is recorded, for example by a program which controls disk drives, however, there still remains the possibility that somebody wishing to make an illegal copy will rewrite the control program so that the data in this area can be rewritten.
As a result, another possibility is that unauthorized recording of received data may take place by an unauthorized user rewriting the ID in one electronic device to modify it to an ID of a properly licensed user. Yet another possibility is that an authorized ID will be copied to plural devices, thereby permitting illegal recording of received data in plural devices.
There was therefore a problem in that the method of recording ID information in the data part of a medium in a related art system could not entirely prevent illegal copying.
It is therefore an object of this invention to resolve the above problems inherent in the related art, and provide an information recording medium wherein ID information cannot be rewritten, or an information processing device comprising such an information recording medium.
A first aspect of this invention, which was conceived to overcome the above problems, is:
a disk-shaped information recording medium permitting data recording and reproducing, the disk-shaped information recording medium comprising:
a data zone permitting data recording and reproducing, and
a servo zone for recording servo information for positioning a head which performs data recording or reproducing relative to the information recording medium, wherein
ID information for identifying the information recording medium is recorded in the servo zone.
In one variation of the information recording medium of this invention, the disk-shaped information recording medium has a construction in which plural data zones and plural servo zones are formed alternately, and the ID information is recorded in at least one servo zone of the plural servo zones.
In another variation of the information recording medium of this information, the ID information forms one piece of ID information by linking recorded information in plural servo zones.
In another variation of the information recording medium of this invention, the servo zone comprises a track address recording region in which a track address for identifying a disk data track is recorded, and the ID information is recorded in the track address recording region.
In another variation of the information recording medium of this invention, the same ID information is recorded in different servo zones of the plural servo zones.
In another variation of the information recording medium of this invention, the same ID information is recorded in servo zones of different surfaces of the disk-shaped information recording medium.
In another variation of the information recording medium of this invention, the same ID information is recorded in regions at different radial positions of a servo zone on the same surface of the disk-shaped information recording medium.
A second aspect of this invention is an information processing device comprising a disk-shaped information recording medium permitting data recording and reproducing, wherein the disk-shaped information recording medium comprises:
a data zone permitting data recording and reproducing, and
a servo zone for recording servo information for positioning a head which performs data recording or reproducing relative to the information recording medium, wherein
ID information for identifying the information recording medium is recorded in the servo zone.
In one variation of the information processing device of this invention, the information processing device comprises a means for performing data recording and reproducing to and from the information recording medium, and
ID information read means for reading the ID information from the servo zone.
In another variation of the information processing device of this invention, the ID information read means reads the ID information recording servo zone data as ID information based on ID information recording servo zone region information of the information recording medium on which ID information is recorded.
In another variation of the information processing device of this invention, the ID information read means comprises a means for executing an ID information read program generated in correspondence with the ID information recording servo zone region information.
In another variation of the information processing device of this invention, the information processing device comprises an ID comparison means for performing a comparison of license information generated based on the ID information and the ID information when distribution information from an external information providing means is recorded on the information recording medium, and a storage enabling means which enables storage of information from the external information providing means on the information recording medium only when it is confirmed that the license information is information created based on the ID information as a result of the comparison in the ID comparison means.
In another variation of the information processing device of this invention, the storage enabling means is a decoding means which performs decoding of encoded information from an information providing means, and which decodes encoded information from an external information providing means only when it is confirmed that the license information is information created based on the ID information as a result of the comparison in the ID comparison means.
In another variation of the information processing device of this invention, the information processing device records distribution information from an external information providing means on the information recording medium, and comprises an ID comparison means for performing a comparison of license information generated based on the ID information and the ID information when the recorded information is played back, and reproducing enabling means which enables reproducing of recorded information recorded on the information recording means only when it is confirmed that the license information is information created based on the ID information as a result of the comparison in the ID comparison means.
In another variation of the information processing device of this invention, the reproducing enabling means is a decoding means which performs decoding of encoded information from an information providing means, and which decodes encoded information recorded on the information recording medium only when it is confirmed that the license information is information created based on the ID information as a result of the comparison in the ID comparison means.
According to the information recording medium and information processing device of this invention, when copyrighted information such as audio information or image information is recorded and played back to and from a recording device, the process of storage or reproducing on a device or medium other than a properly licensed device can be made very difficult, properly licensed user devices can be identified with a higher degree of certainty, and an information provider""s information can be recorded only by properly licensed users.
According to the information storage medium and information processing device of this invention, medium-specific ID information is recorded in a servo zone different from a data recording/reproducing zone. When this medium is installed in a storage device, the ID information cannot be rewritten and can only be reproduced. Storage in the storage device is subject to verification of the ID, hence unauthorized data storage can be prevented
Further, according to the information storage medium and information processing device of this invention, a servo writer, which is a special expensive piece of equipment, is used to record the medium-specific ID information in the servo zone, so rewriting of the ID or falsification by the general user can be prevented.
Still further, according to the information storage medium and information processing device of this invention, by encoding distribution data and decoding this data using a decoding key based on the unique ID recorded in a servo zone of the storage device, only users who have received a valid license, i.e., users who own a recording medium which has definitely been identified, are permitted to perform storage or reproducing of the decoded data.